A review by dannys_book_corner
The Real-Town Murders by Adam Roberts

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Premise
The Real-Town Murders by Adam Robert’s is a fairly short and fun book reading at 230 pages. It describes itself as a fast-paced Hitchcockian thriller where the main character, Alma, becomes entangled in a political coup when she is hired to solve an impossible murder. 

This is a multilayered book set in future Britain where real life is dominated by the presence of the Shine, the succession to the Internet. Like Ready Player One, we find that the citizens of this world prefer spending their time in their computer-generated life, so much so that the government has fractured into one that governs the real world and one that governs the Shine. Don’t go into this novel expecting it to read like Ready Player One, because Alma, our main character, has an aversion to the Shine and refuses to log in. It combines dystopia, science-fiction, crime noir, mystery, humour, power, and action to create an enjoyable, if brief, novel. 

 

 

Plot 

I did enjoy the plot, it kept me entertained throughout and wondering just how this impossible murder happened. The plot was tight but not overly ambitious. Some of the plot points I found to be a little predictable, more so because the premise has been done many times. The delivery is what makes this book all the better, sometimes you don’t need to reinvent the wheel because the wheel still works. 

 

On the surface, The Real-Town Murders reads as a locked-room mystery, but it steadily evolves into much more than that, demonstrating Robert’s ability to craft a story with more layers than a german tree cake. He is able to inject satire where needed, whilst keeping the plot grounded in a more serious tone. The humour itself is subtle rather than being in your face and anyone who has read Robert’s previous books would likely feel comfortable with this one. I haven’t read Robert’s since The Soddit in school, and even I recognised the writing style fairly quickly. 

 

Characters 

Robert’s has created a small cast of characters and this book benefits from that. I knew who each of the characters were, even when being reintroduced, in part due to their unique characteristics, quirks, and distinctive names. A highlight of the book is meeting these characters throughout Alma’s story and her interactions with them. Some of my favourite portions of The Real-Town Murders was her synergy with the supporting cast, in particular, how she deals with various levels of AI such as her door. It may sound ridiculous, but this scene in particular is written with wit and humour and adds to the world Robert’s has built in a satisfying way. 

 

I would have liked to learn more about Alma, however. By the end of the book I didn’t real I knew much about her backstory, and while this isn’t always essential to understand or like a character, it would have helped me grow to appreciate her more. I wanted to know why Alma was considered to be the right person for the job, and I wanted to understand what made her tick. We know that Alma has carer duties to her partner Marguerite, and we are constantly reminded of how this is all Alma’s is focussed on, but surely there are other things that make her run. 

 

World-Building 

Robert’s has created a fully-realised not-quite-but-almost-there-dystopian Britain, where the Shine is the de-facto method of living. Even seeing 10 people out at once is considered a crowd. Because of these changes in population habits Robert’s has invented a re-imaged Britain, where towns are renamed in humorous ways, and the heads of famous brits are carved into the chalk cliffs looking out to France to lure people back into the real world. It’s a believable Britain (especially because we like questionable puns) and a future that is threatening to happen once the Internet is superseded. 

 

What didn’t work for me 

Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. I found myself getting frustrated at being told things I’d already been told multiple times before. Speaking about Alma’s integrated feed, on page 116 we are told , “And if she did that the police would be on her in moments.”. I already knew this consequence of linking back into her feed, which would allow her to be tracked, because I’d already been told it multiple times. In addition, the urgency to return to Marguerite is repeated at numerous points. I as the reader know and understand these, and felt my immersion break by being reminded of these facts, as though I would constantly forget them. 

 

I also did found myself pausing with some of the dialogue. I understand and get that some of the characters are more comfortable interacting in the Shine and via their feeds rather than talking, but having to work out if the character is bumbling their words or if the dialogue if slightly off also broke my immersion. For example, when Alma is speaking to a support character, they say “‘I called you to ask you to call you, sorry. Sorry, I stumble over words.’”. While the speaker itself explains their stumbling, it’s this scattergun speak that forced me to go back and re-read to understand what was being said. 

 

Conclusion 

For the most part I enjoyed The Real-Town Murders. It’s story was intriguing and Alma was a great character, but I found myself wanting a bit more from her. If you’re a fan of both science-fiction and mystery, then I’d recommend at least trying this book out at some point. It doesn’t ask for much of your time and brings with it likeable humour and a satisfying ending.